A Masked Encounter Within The Night
by mkmkmk
Summary: Every night he did this, each time always bringing his pulses an exhilirating trill. Rated T for some adult themes and like one or two cuss words. I don't remember. AU Bluetara and Jet bashing galore. With extra bone-breaking...and one fight scene. Oh yeah baby.


**Hello! This my first Zutara fanfic and I'm kinda nervous about how it turned out. Since nothing I write has a plot line... Gah...**

 **Well! As expected from a first, there quite possibly will be OOCness, shipping, and innuendos (not sure about the last one) and fourth wall breaking on accident. Unless I took that out, I don't really remember.**

 **AU of course since its been ages since I've seen A:TLA. T for adult themes and Jet hate, with Jet's straw obsession, accompanied by Jet's potty mouth. And a Zuko with a regrettably toned down attitude (I'm sorry! Everything else I try to do with his actions just get out of hand!)**

 ** _"Anyway, back to testing." -GlaDos, Portal 2_**

* * *

He was a phantom, a shadow against the night, darker than pitch, and unseen by all.

He darted in and out from between houses and shops, his footsteps almost soundless on the gravel laden streets. His breathing came slow, steady, inaudible, while his heart thrummed almost frantically in his chest. Every night he did this, occasionally beating up a few guards picking on children and the elderly alike, each time never ceasing to bring his pulse to an exhilarating trill. He wasn't Prince Zuko, banished son of Fire Lord Ozai. No, he was the Blue Spirit, he was who he wanted to be.

Zuko scoffed under his breath. He wished as much.

 _Clink._

He froze, head tossing around to find where the startling noise emanated. A lizard-rat scampered around the corner, knocking over a pile of whisky bottles and sending them down with a crash. He suppressed a groan as he escaped the scene. There weren't any guards in this area, he'd checked the patrol times for the week while he stole money from the station.

Eyes narrowed as he scanned his perimeters, Zuko scaled up a wall, feet finding footholds not even mountain lion-goats would dare to use. He swung onto the tiled roof with a light _poff_ , as his mouth twisted up into a self-appreciative smirk. He'd gotten good at being quiet on these little trips around Ba Sing Se, out of necessity of course, but useful all the same.

He strolled almost leisurely on the rooftops, listening to the sounds of the night. A small disturbance brushed by his ear. He stopped for a moment, listening carefully. The noise continued. _Sounds like a fight,_ he thought as he placed a careful hand on his dual swords, _Maybe it's those thick-headed thugs again._ He flitted closer, becoming more cautious as the noises grew louder as he approached.

"Let go!" Zuko's eyes widened. The voice sounded familiar... He tread softly yet quickly on the clay roof tiles, leaping from one house to another, his hands twitching with the urge to draw his swords.

"Katara please!" _Well, I know who that belongs to. That weird Jet guy._ He frowned, inching closer. Tossing a wary glance around him, he slid off the house and landed near the corner where the two of them were struggling. Zuko almost smirked beneath his mask. If the water tribe girl was here, the Avatar must be too.

 _And what are you going to do then?_ He frowned at the thought, turning his head back to the scuffle at hand. The waterbending peasant girl looked like she was trying to worm away from that 'freedom fighter' idiot.

"Let me go! I hate you!" Unfortunately for the her, it was a physical tangle, leaving that Jet creep and his stupid straw the victor. Zuko glared heatedly at the other boy's back from his position behind the wall, watching in silence as Jet fussed over the peasant girl with leather chords he had slipped out from inside his shirt. After stuffing her mouth with a dirty rag to keep her quiet, the ruffian stepped away and hoisted the peasant over his shoulder. She gave a pained _oomph_ before starting to squirm and squeal, her noise muffled easily by the cloth in her mouth.

Zuko's jaw clenched in anger. From the looks of it, the vigilante had tied her up roughly, leaving dark red marks on her wrists and around her mouth from where he forcefully stuffed in the gag. Zuko grimaced, anger flaring again. Didn't Jet know how to treat women? Even when the girl was in the prince's grasp, he still treated her with the gentleness women deserved. Sure he tied her to a tree, but he made sure he didn't hurt her! Well, not too badly anyway. He blinked back to reality at the girl trying her hardest to yell for help. Apparently, the rag did a great job of quieting her voice and leaving her breathless.

Zuko watched as Jet left, internally debating on whether he should chase them or leave Jet to do what he wished. He jumped onto the house again, following them. If he left her in the Jet's grasp, he might have just left a young woman at the mercy a complete creep. If he didn't, he could use her to...to...

 _To what, Zuko? Capture the Avatar?_

Zuko growled inaudibly, hearing Iroh's voice echoing in his head.

 _Dammit Uncle._

* * *

When Jet asked her to meet him here yesterday, he'd only said he wanted to talk. Katara forced down the feeling of betrayal as Jet lugged her through the maze of run down buildings in the Lower Ring. She hated herself for being so trusting, but he had sounded so sincere when he said all he wanted here was a new beginning. She should've known it was all a trick, all a lie to soften her up. She hoped someone heard her when she yelled. Her head rose, eyes snatching a quick glimpse of a shadow. Her blood went cold. Maybe someone did.

Jet carried her through the streets, and while he avidly searched their surroundings for followers, he missed the one thing Katara did see. A dark figure moving stealthy behind the both of them, soundless and almost unnoticeable against the black, star-dotted sky. Every time Jet twisted around a bit to look behind, it moved out of sight almost too quickly for her eyes to register. Jet continued running, probably oblivious to the creature, whatever it was, following them. She weighed her options. Slow Jet down to let the creepy black thing catch up, or let him take her to wherever to get away from the creepy black thing following them.

She looked up again, catching sight of the living shadow running along the rooftops. It was much closer now, she noted, watching in awe as it nimbly darted towards them. An unmoving, demonic smile grinned at her, black eye-sockets boring into hers. Of course, it was just a blue mask, even so, it unnerved her. But the sight set a spark through her mind. Recognition and relief coursed through her as her friend's description of his rescuer resurfaced at the front of her mind. She stilled in her movements of searching for the spirit as memories flitted back to her.

* * *

 _"The Blue Spirit helped me escape," the airbender said, a soft frown creasing his eyebrows, "I've heard he was a thief, but locals say he had recently started fighting against Earth Kingdom law enforcement and Fire Nation take-over units." Katara sat forward, interested._

 _"Did he tell you who he was?" She asked. Aang looked up at her, holding her gaze for a moment before looking down at the ground with the uncharacteristic frown on his childish face. He sighed before answering._

 _"No."_

 _"Well, he must be a good guy right? To go through heavy security, archers, and a crazy firebending admiral to save Aang the Avatar huh?" Sokka said, grinning through a mouthful of food. "Whoever he is, he has my respect!" Aang still stared at the ground, his expression thoughtful. Katara leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder._

 _"Aang? You okay?" The boy looked at her, smiled, then looked back down._

 _"Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't know if he's a good guy or not."_

* * *

 _I wonder what he meant by that,_ she thought dimly before catching sight of the masked man again.

Katara fought against Jet's grip, before he growled menacingly and sank his nails painfully into her thigh. Katara choked and coughed harshly into her gag, her eyes prickling with the sudden onslaught of tears. She wiped them away into her shoulder while her leg ached in Jet's cruel grasp.

Behind his mask, Zuko swore under his breath. If he left her with Jet any longer, the bastard was sure to hurt her more. While she was technically his enemy, she was still a person that needed help. Zuko hummed in thought. Perhaps she's just a decent reason to justify beating up Jet. He huffed. Like hurting the rat-faced bastard needed any justification anyway. He quietly unsheathed his swords as one, relishing the feel of their comforting weight in his hand. He slipped behind the cover of darkness and darted away.

Huffing and puffing, Jet turned the corner, abruptly stopping when he saw it. The Blue Spirit. Immediately, he carelessly dropped his captive and took out his swords, shifting stiffly into a fighting stance as he fought to control his breathing. The masked thief stared at Katara as she sobbed on the ground, before turning to meet Jet's gaze. As awful as he felt about hurting her, he knew that the sooner they got to his home, the sooner she would come to realize his real purpose here in Ba Sing Se. _But first I have to take care of this guy._ If rumors were true, this was going to be a difficult fight, but in all honesty, Jet has been waiting for the chance to fight the infamous Blue Spirit himself. Besides, he was trying to take Katara away. _Well, what do you expect from a thief?_

The Blue Spirit twirled his sword a bit and shifted into a lazy-looking stance, his apparent lack of seriousness riling up Jet's temper. He must think he wasn't a threat, just another kid with weapons. Jet smirked at the black-clad figure. _I'll show him who's not a threat._

Katara watched in horror as Jet lunged forward, swinging at the masked man with his hooked blades, gaping in awe as the darker figure simply stepped out of the way of the first blade and blocked the second one before nimbly hopping to the side, returning blows to Jet's defense. She sat up and wormed her way over to lean against the wall, the ringing clashing of metal echoing down the alleyway where the two swordsmen fought. She reached up to her mouth, ignoring the painful rubbing of the rough rope on her skin as she untied the gag. She started tugging the rope apart with her teeth when Jet yelped in pain.

Her eyes flashed up, still gnawing on her binds. A red splotch of blood had begun to soak through the fabric on his right bicep, but from what she could see, it wasn't a deep cut. More of a scratch really. She looked at the Blue Spirit, who was getting up from the ground. Jet growled at him and lunged again, his left blade swinging in a wide arc toward the Blue Spirit's head, who blocked it easily. Katara didn't see the second blade before it was almost too late.

"Watch out!" She cried. The spirit was already way ahead of her. His sword split in two and he deftly swatted away the second blade, knocking Jet on the head on the way. Jet kicked at his legs, but the Blue Spirit caught Jet's foot with his own. He lifted the straw-chewing boy's foot, bringing him to the ground with a loud thud that made Katara flinch and swiped away Jet's weapons as Jet kicked again, this time bringing the masked vigilante down too as the hooked blades clattered away. The Blue Spirit rolled away and hopped to his feet as Jet blindly tackled him to the ground, knocking the dual swords away while throwing raging punches. Katara finally got the rope from around her burning wrists, a few tears dripping down her cheeks. She got to work on the binds around her legs, wincing at the sound of the two men beating the other senseless.

"You son of a bitch!" She was too busy untying the knots to look up. The sickening sound of a bone breaking made her flinch and Jet howled in pain.

The Blue Spirit suddenly gasped just as Katara yanked the rope off her legs. Her head whipped up and she saw the handle of a knife sticking out of his left arm while the other continued to wrestle with Jet, his mask askew and revealing the bottom half of his face. Jet grinned maniacally on top of him, his free arm raising another blade to deliver the finishing blow.

"No!" Jet's eyes flitted up to hers.

In a flash, the Blue Spirit disarmed him, ignoring the wound in his arm. He twisted Jet around quickly, using the freedom fighter's own weight against him and smashed his face in the ground. For extra measure, he also hit him in the temple, effectively knocking him out if he wasn't already. Coughing roughly, the Blue Spirit stood up slowly, silently, fixing his mask before holding his injured arm.

Katara heard a sharp intake of breath when he pulled Jet's knife out of his arm. She grimaced at his pain. Now her raw wrists and bruised body didn't seem so agonizing. Studying him, she saw he seemed to be favoring his right leg as he limped to his swords. Katara rushed forward, picking up his swords and putting them together. He took them from her, warm gloved fingers sliding past hers. Katara frowned at the growing crimson patch on his arm. If only she had some water, she could heal it for him.

The Blue Spirit coughed and adjusted his mask again before he started to walk away. Katara blinked at his retreating form.

 _Where's he going?_

 _Home you idiot_. Katara gulped, looking around. Shoot, where was she? He looked back at her and she could feel the weight of his questioning gaze, even though she couldn't see his real face. She looked down, a loss at words as she scuffed her toe on the ground. Was she supposed to follow him? She shuffled forward awkwardly.

Zuko watched as Katara struggled to find something to say. He'd only turned around because he heard her gulp, then caught her staring at him with eyes bigger than his uncle's belly, figuratively speaking of course. What was she waiting for? She looked nervous and embarrassed as he stared back at her, gnawing on her lip, startlingly blue eyes darting across the ground, a soft peachy flush on her brown cheeks. It was kinda cute actually, though Zuko would never admit it out loud. She honestly wasn't bad looking, he decided, before he harshly bit his lip to avert his thoughts. His face flamed beneath his wooden mask, then she looked up at him.

"Do you mind if I walk with you? I'm a waterbender and I can heal your wounds," she said, eyes looking hopeful. He wanted to scoff, to turn her down, but his arm screamed at the notion of getting healed. He held back a groan and nodded. She smiled at him, but he already turned away, limping.

He grit his teeth at the throbbing in his ankle. Probably sprained, but there was almost no way for him to tell. Hell, it could be broken, which wouldn't be good in the slightest considering his position as a refugee. The peasant girl walked next to him, sending concerned glances at his ankle and his arm.

Sighing quietly, he turned to go down another alleyway, away from the direct path to his house. It was still a possibility that someone heard the fight, considering how much the waterbender shrieked at Jet, and how loudly Jet yelled at him. But the night remained quiet, so he pushed onward. He winced when he accidentally brushed his arm against a corner as he turned, making that irritable throbbing burn hot for a moment. Zuko hissed quietly through his teeth, rubbing his arm as if it would ease the pain. Suddenly the water peasant was there, placing her small hands on his forearm. He frowned at her.

"Here," she said quietly, lifting his sleeve to bare his wound to her. It looked worse than he imagined, the dark red stark against his porcelain flesh. His lips thinned and turned down. She reached into her shirt pocket and took out a mass of white strips. He raised a brow, but remained silent. It was probably to patch up her friends whenever they got hurt or something. Hmph. He couldn't help but notice how soft and cool her hands felt against the aggravated heat of his skin. Unscarred cheek flushing pink, Zuko watched quietly as she dabbed around the oozing red stab with some of the white cloth before wrapping it in white bandages with a practiced ease. She must have done this often. Hmm...

When Katara finished, she tugged his sleeve down and slipped his arm over her shoulder. The Blue Spirit tensed, taken aback as she drew even closer to wrap her arm around his firm midsection, her fist pressing softly into his oblique. She looked up at him, feeling his surprise, then looked down blushing, and gently pushed him forward. He must've understood her want to get moving because he began limping faster, making her quicken her pace to match his.

They were silent throughout the rest of the walk, the only sounds being her breathing, her heartbeat, and her footsteps. Only her because, even though he was injured, the Blue Spirit was eerily silent, moving like a ghost down the streets and alleys. He abruptly stopped by a house that looked almost exactly like all the other houses on that street, except with flowers by the door. He moved away from her and took out a knife, slipping the blade somewhere under a window and lifting it open.

Katara raised a brow and followed him into the house. The Blue Spirit shut the window again, locked it and limped into a different room. Katara waited patiently as he came back with a lighted candle, illuminating the large room and throwing eerie shadows across the floor and walls. There were lots of table and chairs, teacups and saucers set daintily on top. In the dim lighting, she spotted a counter and doorway leading into a kitchen, pots and pans glinting faintly back.

A cough drew her attention and she looked over to see the masked man leaning against a wall for support, waiting. Shoot! Katara rushed forward and slid under his muscled arm again, before he led her up a stairway and into a bedroom. He sighed and sat heavily on his bed, pulling back his hood to let ruffled black hair spring out everywhere and fall around the top of his mask.

"Where's the bathroom?" She asked. The Blue Spirit looked up at her, then gestured down the hall and holding up two fingers. She nodded and walked away, returning moments later with a larger floating globe of water. She looked at him, blinking in surprise when she saw he was only wearing a sleeveless tunic and black pants. She raised a brow at the mask, which he wore still, but remained in a suspicious silence as she walked to him.

Zuko stiffened at the sight of the water, remembering their fight up at the North Pole, but swallowed down his unease. The throbbing in his ankle and the inferno in his arm were nearly unbearable now, making him grit his teeth noiselessly when Katara took his arm. She cast him an apologetic look and a reassuring smile as she removed the bandages she put their earlier. He didn't know how that worked at all, but that simple smile relaxed him enough to not flinch when she pressed a small globe of water to his arm.

Zuko breathed in sharply as the water began to glow blue, bathing Katara's olive skin in a soft hue accentuating her exotic eyes. He kept his gaze trained on her face as the searing fire in his arm lessened until it was gone. He looked down at his arm and gaped at his unmarked skin. Zuko lightly ghosted the spot where his was stabbed with his fingertips, inaudibly whispering, "Woah."

He sighed quietly, wincing as he shifted his legs a bit. The waterbender immediately noticed it. She stood and helped him place his sprained ankle on his bed. She pressed another globe of water to his ankle, easing the injured ligaments and muscle. When she finished, she leaned away, smiling at him lightly.

Zuko let his head rest against the headboard, the tension in his body relaxing while he stared silently at Katara, who started rubbing her wrists with a pained expression on her face. Impulsively, he reached over and gently ran his thumbs over the sore skin, hoping to give her comfort. She looked up at him, smiling softly, her eyes carrying a glint of fatigue that wasn't there before. Zuko cocked his head at her. Healing must take a lot out of her, he thought. While she healed her own bruises and cuts, he pondered how he could repay her. He needed to thank her somehow, but how could he do that when he couldn't speak?

Well, he could speak, but that would just end up as a complete disaster.

His trademark scowl returned to his face.

Katara felt herself sway a little as she struggled to keep her eyes open. She was already tired when she went down to see Jet, she was already tired when she helped walk a pained Blue Spirit home, and now she was exhausted from healing the wounds he took for her as well as her own. Her head nodded sleepily, tipping upward when strong arms slipped behind her back and legs, lifting her up almost effortlessly. Katara let her head rest in the crook of the Blue Spirit's neck, breathing in a comforting scent of jasmine, wood smoke, and pine trees. It reminded her strangely of Zuko, but the thought was quickly lost as the Blue Spirit shifted her around and trotted downstairs.

Zuko glanced around before stepping out of the teashop/apartment duplex. He glanced down at the girl in his arms, smirking inwardly at her expression. A small, childlike smile lightly curving her lips up at the corners, her eyes closed without creases, her cheek nuzzling into his chest. Ugh, it was disgusting. He silently sighed. She didn't even know who he was and she was being this trusting. Then again, he'd just saved her from Jet, so maybe his actions made her believe he wasn't someone who once tied her to a tree to capture her friend. He shook his head and quietly padded away toward the Upper Ring.

* * *

Zuko lightly shook her awake when he slipped past the wall to rest in the shadow of a nearby building, narrowly evading the ever-watchful guards of the gates. Katara made a numerous amount of sleepy noises, but thankfully nothing loud enough to alert anyone nearby. Her cerulean eyes cracked open and she yawned, stretching in his arms. He gulped quietly, face warming at her movements, but he was quick to school his reactions, returning to a passive state. She looked up at him, eyes heavily lidded.

"Where are-" she began, but he silenced her with his hand and a soft hush.

"Shh..." It was almost impossible to ignore how delectable she looked at that moment. He almost choked. _Where did **that** come from?_ Oh Agni, he was tired. He removed his hand from her mouth and gestured towards the rows of pristine white, brown, and green houses. Katara hesitated for a moment, seeming to remember who she was dealing with, and shot a looked or suspicion his way. Zuko tilted his head at her, noting how her eyebrows pinched downward and how her lower lip pushed out in an adorably childish manner. Not that she's a child anymore, he mused to himself, his unseen gaze darting over her figure.

 _GAH! Stop it!_

"Can I trust you?" That brought him careening back into reality. He wasn't the Blue Spirit, a protector of innocents, a master thief, a rebellious shadow in the sun's rays. He was Prince Zuko, banished son of the Fire Lord. _The cold, heartless emperor of the Fire Nation_ , he tacked on darkly in his mind, his teeth clenching in a sudden flare of anger. A small cough drew his attention back to the water tribe girl, who seemed to sense his emotions even though she couldn't see his face at all.

Zuko calmed then. What the waterbender didn't know was that he was indeed the banished prince. To her, he was a masked vigilante who fought with swords, someone who fought for what he believed was right. _Fought for what he believed_... He bit his lip and nodded at her.

 _It's time for you to ask yourself the **big questions** , Prince Zuko!_

They stood and walked side by side, a thoughtful silence permeating the atmosphere.

 _What do **you** believe in?_

It was at these moments when Zuko wondered if he was going insane.

 _What do **you** want?_

Katara suddenly stopped and he ran into her back, not realizing they had reached her destination.

 _Dammit Uncle._

"Are you alright?" Her voice made him slip back into reality and he saw her staring at him, eyes wide and worrying. Zuko bowed his head, nodding, chewing at his lip. _Dammit! Get a hold of yourself!_

Katara harrumphed disbelievingly, trotting up toward the front door and opening it before she turned to look back. The Blue Spirit was gone. She blinked in shock, then stepped inside and went to her bedroom, sighing in slight disappointment. She took her hairbrush and a change of clothes before heading towards the bathroom.

Zuko stood unnoticed by her window, his fingers thoughtfully playing with her necklace, remembering how he'd found it by chance when he and his uncle were traveling together, a few months back. She probably misses it, considering how she'd reacted when he first dangled it in front of her face.

 _"Please, it my mother's. Please Zuko."_

He rolled the circular pendant over his knuckles, watching in interest as the stone flashed and glittered in the moonlight. Zuko opened Katara's window, and lounged in the window pane, calmly awaiting her return as he continued to play with the pretty necklace. He rolled it one way, then the other, flicked it into the air a few times, stared at it, then put it in his pocket before he finally heard a gasp on the other side of the room. He tilted his head sideways to look at her, taking in her shocked expression.

Katara stared at him, her hairbrush clutched tightly to her chest as she gaped at him. She quickly brushed aside her shock and set her hairbrush on her dresser, before she walked cautiously to his side, hands folded behind her back.

"I thought you left," she said quietly, peeking up at him shyly. The Blue Spirit rose from the sill, his tall form blotted out the moonlight. She tried not to flinch as he raised his hand to her neck, his warm gloved fingers lightly touched the hollow of her throat. She almost backed away, but forced herself to remain still out of curiosity. _What is he-?_ He pulled something out of his pocket. Her eyes widened. _No way..._

"I think this is yours." His whispered voice was completely indistinguishable, she would've mistaken it for the wind had he not been in front of her. His hands reached behind her neck, tying the necklace into place with a few twists of his fingers. Her hand trembled slightly as she touched her mother's necklace, disbelief shining clearly through her expressive blue eyes.

"H-how-?" Her tongue flopped uselessly in her mouth as she tried to form words to express how thankful she was or to ask how in the world he'd managed to end up with her necklace. Giving up on trying to speak, Katara threw her arms around him, quietly laughing with joy as she buried her face in his chest. He stiffened at first, but ever so slowly placed his hands at the small of her back, his movements unsure.

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, oh La thank you!" She whispered, squeezing him. She gazed up at him, grinning at the blue mask concealing his true features from her. She reached up one hand, placing it on his mask, her thumb hooked beneath the edge. His hand closed around her wrist, stopping her advances.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "Why won't you let me see your face?" The Blue Spirit shook his head, stepping away towards the window. "No wait!" She grabbed his arm, clutching it to herself. He turned back to her, his black eyes boring into hers, his demonic grin taunting her as she gazed defiantly at him. She released his arm and she crossed her own, a frown pinching her eyebrows together. The Blue Spirit began to turn away again, but she moved quickly, lifting his mask halfway up his face before he stopped her.

Zuko glared at the waterbender as she pulled and tugged at his grip on her wrists. He moved her away from him, only to be grabbed again and miraculously yanked off balance into her, sending them both tumbling onto her bed. Somehow, Katara managed to get on top of him, wrestling with his arms. Just when he was able to push her off, one of her knees pressed against something rather sensitive to touch. He froze, his heartbeat hammering hurriedly against his chest, his breathing sounding absurdly loud against his ears.

The waterbender frowned when he ceased his movement, her eyes widening in realization when she understood why. A dark pink tinge washed over her caramel colored cheeks and she bit her lip. Zuko remained absolutely still as Katara studied him, one of her hand reaching for his mask yet again. _Damn this girl..._ He grasped her wrist again which hovered just over the parting of his lips.

"Please." His whispered word curled into the soft flesh of her palm, hot and pleading.

"Who are you?" She whispered back, her expression fiercely suspicious. Zuko inwardly swore. _I need to get out of here..._ He gulped, golden eyes seeing nothing but the darkness of the lower part of his mask. _But how?_ Katara's hand still hovered above his mask, kept in place by his hand, but her knee pressed just slightest bit more.

It was then that an absolutely terrible idea popped into his brain, and he, being the hot-blooded, practically brainless, teenaged boy he is, decided to follow through with it. His free hand found her knee, his fingertips barely ghosting her skin as they traveled higher to finally cup her face. Her pulse throbbed faster against his other hand as he gently brought her body flush against his own.

Then he kissed her.

* * *

The power of the rising sun brought Zuko to consciousness, as it did every morning of his life. He shifted against the warm, soft body that lay relaxedly upon him with a soft murmur of contentment, before he opened his eyes and remembered where he was. And what exactly occurred mere hours ago.

Embarrassment painted a bright red streak across the crest of his cheekbones, slowly spreading across the expanse of his pale skin. Zuko rose, careful not to jostle the sleeping brunette into awakeness, and dressed, head down and face burning. He should feel dirty, doing those unspeakable things with a Water Tribe peasant, only he felt nothing but warm (maybe a little sore but he'd never admit that) and surprisingly relaxed, aside from the initial embarrassment at realizing he'd…well…

Zuko shuddered. Turning, he gave the girl's room a sweeping glance as he fixed his mask (which somehow managed to stay in the same place throughout the night) and strapped his dao swords to his back before he stepped up to the window and lifted the sash, letting the morning breeze brush into the room. She shivered and he turned again. After a quick mental debate, he drew closer to her again, internally groaning and complaining about how he'd gone soft. He slid the thin blankets over her before burying her in the large puffy comforter that lay abandoned on the floor.

Gazing back at her, he realized that all that mumbo jumbo he was thinking late last night was true. His gloved hand lightly touched her face, feeling the warmth the radiated off her skin through the thick fabric, his expression becoming soft at the smile that curved over her lips. She wasn't pretty, he decided. She was beautiful. It was then that the door opened suddenly, the sound causing Zuko to jump back in alarm as the bald-headed air monk stepped through the doorway and froze at the sight of him.

The boy's mouth looked like it was spazzing as he probably struggled to speak through his shock.

" _Zuko!?_ What are you doing here!?" The Avatar hissed, his gray gaze whizzing between the disguised prince and his waterbending friend. Zuko strode to the window and hopped silently onto the ledge below it.

"You're welcome," he whispered back, before he disappeared from sight. Aang ran to the window, looking for any signs of a black-clad figure, but saw nothing. He looked back at his friend, who continued to sleep. Sighing, Aang retreated from the room and closed the door.

Katara rolled over, blue eyes opening to stare at the ceiling. She should've felt violated, defiled, tricked, or something. But she didn't. She felt warm (a little sore) and surprisingly relaxed.

" _Zuko…_ "

Above the window, he smiled.

* * *

 **EDIT: This was supposed to be a oneshot. Fanfiction just decided to reload my page and screw with my information and I forgot of put the story down as complete.**


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